Commission Knitting

RL has been a bit rough lately, even with getting to teach 2 classes for a couple of months. That should have eased things up - but all it really did was allow me to get a couple of backlogged things in order. Unfortunately, there were lots more where those had come from, and so......

I came up with a new venture, and have started making scarves on demand.

I'm in the process of figuring out pricing and stuff. I started too low, and am making adjustments as I get more people interested. As of now, I have gotten 14 orders. I've completed 2 so far and have 2 more on the needles. I'm gonna have to step up my pace if people want to have these before the winter weather hits!

The first 2 scarves were both knit from the same yarn, a now-discontinued bright-and-cheery rainbow self-striping variegate. I'm really, really sorry they discontinued this yarn! I also used the same stitch on them both - a very quick-to-knit-up variation on a waffle pattern. (pics below)

I also have 2 other patterns I'm playing with. One is a diagonal rib stitch, which is taking longer to knit than I anticipated, partly because I keep making mistakes with it. I love the look, but I may abandon that stitch if it doesn't settle down soon. Normally, I like knitting that makes me think a bit, but right now that's just not helpful! The other is a pattern I'm making up. It is based on my favorite washcloth, but I had to modify the pattern enough to get it to work for a scarf that I am considering it "mine."

I've also had two commissions for HP-based scarves, which will be fun, and for one infinity scarf, for which I need to do some gauge checking before I cast on for real. Once I am certain of my gauge, though, that one, too, should be easy to do (if i can get past the "cast on 178 stitches" part!)

Here are the first 2 scarves:

This was the first one I did - it was jusssssst barely long enough. I have since revised my scarf length to something an adult can actually wear.

This is the second scarf - sorry for the sun glare!

June 2011 HPKCHC Challenges

Summarized from Ravelry:

Transfiguration, June 2011

Option 1: Steeks.

Option 2: Use scissors to make something new.

Option 3: Make something inspired by scissors.

Option 4: Spin or Dye yarn for a colorwork and/or steeked project.

Bonus points for pictures of scissors in action or before and after pictures

History of Magic, June 2011

Option 1: : Create a FO to represent something to help you while confronting an unknown Triwizard Tournament Task.

Option 2: Symbolize a new Triwizard Task.

Option 3: Create a FO in honor of your chosen HPKCHC Champion

Muggle Studies, June 1022

Option 1: A Muggle Doll (Human.)

Option 2: Something for a Muggle Doll: clothes, accessories.

Option 3: Make a “Doll-like” stuffed animal.

Option 4: Spin doll hair.

Summary: Craft a Doll, something for a Doll, or a “Doll-like” stuffed creature. Spin doll hair (measured by WPI).

Charms, June 2011

Assignment: Select a pattern and follow it unerringly.

DADA, June 2011

Option 1: Create something that reveals a truth about your character

Option 2: Create something that is dull, difficult or will cause pain

Option 3: Create something that can be used to bind and secure an opponent.

Care of Magical Creatures, June 2011

Option 1: Create a jewel-like item.

Option 2: Create an alternative “Cauldron” that is pretty or unique.
Option 3: Create something to protect you from fire.

Divination, June 2011

Option 1:  Craft something that makes use of “negative space” in the design. Lace and/or colorwork suggested.
Option 2: Craft something that can be viewed or used two or more different ways, depending on which part of the design you focus on.
Option 3: Interpret the posted prophecy.

Herbology, June 2011

Option 1:  Knit/Crochet something completely new challenge to you.

Option 2:  Create something that requires explanation to fully appreciate, then sell it hard.

Option 3:  Craft jewelry that is odd/inappropriate.

Option 4:  Craft something upside down!

May 2011 HPKCHC Courses

From Ravelry:
Muggle Studies:
Muggle Art

• Knit, crochet, or weave an object, or spin or dye yarn inspired by any work of art ...or...
• Engage in a bit of artistic yarnstorming.
  

Potions:
The Draught of Peace

• Craft an item using 2 or more individual colours in a balanced way. (Fair Isle, intarsia, double knitting) ...or...
  
• Craft an item with 7 colour changes. (eg. striping with 2 or more colours) ...or...
  
• Overdye a commercially dyed yarn or one you dyed yourself.

Ancient Runes:
Shibboleth & Passwords

• Craft something to secure a means of communication, whether it’s a cozy for your laptop or socks to protect your feet when you go to visit a friend. ...or....
• Craft something that could serve as a shibboleth, that is, something that proves membership in a particular group (ex: the dark mark that Voldemort’s followers wore; in the Muggle world, a Red Hat for the Red Hat society; something in house colors for Hogwarts; etc.) ...or...
• Craft something with a hidden message. (You’ll have to work hard to sell this one.)

Defense Against the Dark Arts:
Kappa study

• Craft a project inspired by Mongolia or Japan, where Kappas are most commonly found. ...or...
• Craft a project that you might take to the beach on your own future vacations. ...or...
• Craft an object that represents one of your past vacations.

Astronomy:
The Asteroid Belt

• Craft something irregular. Try your hand at freeform crochet or knitting. Spin art yarn. Dye a yarn inspired by the asteroid belt. Imitate organic forms — break away from clean lines and symmetry and let your imagination free....or...
• Make a belt.

Care of Magical Creatures:
Griffin study

• Make treasure. ...or...
• Make something to keep treasure safe. ...or...
• Make something that’s a combination of the above.

Charms:
The Permanent Sticking Charm

• Craft something that represents a link between two people or locations. ...or...
• Craft something that will help you, or someone you know, be remembered after you are gone and preserve your legacy.
  

History of Magic
Wizarding Fashion and Style

• Make something to represent a Wizarding "style icon" ...or...
  
• Using the playful nature of Wizard fashions throughout history as your starting point craft something that could start a new Wizarding fashion trend.

Quidditch:

Horcruxes

Students who choose Horcruxes will be setting out to find and destroy the Horcruxes. Students will select a Horcrux from the list and craft an item that represents it. You may do one Horcrux or all of the Horcruxes, but cannot do each Horcrux more than once (because lets hope there’s just one set out there for you to destroy!).

Slytherin’s locket - Slytherin, locket/necklace, scarves/cowls, caves, zombies/Inferi, childhood, the Black family
Gaunt’s ring - family, symbols, rings, gloves/mittens
Riddle’s diary - identity, charms (as in charming someone to do something like Ginny was), anything related to a book
Hufflepuff’s cup - Hufflepuff, money, Gringott’s, things related to cups, dyed yarn! (for this Horcrux only, and if you show us you dyed it in a cup!)
Ravenclaw’s diadem - Ravenclaw. Hats. words/wisdom, intelligence, regret, room of requirement, tiaras/crowns.
Nagini - snake, animals/pets in general, familiars.
Harry Potter (and his scar!) Gryffindor. Parseltongue, something that isn’t what it seems (has a hidden feature/compartment/etc), colorwork

Hallows

The Elder Wand:

• Choose an Unstoppable Ravelry Pattern (Knitting=more than 2000 projects, Crochet = more than 900 projects).
• Make a project you’ve made before so you know you can make it again. (Provide a link to the first project page as well, if available)
• Show other ways that having the Elder Wand empowers you.

Resurrection Stone:

• Take a second attempt at making an UGH project

• Reclaim a project (UGH, unfinished or otherwise) and give the yarn a new life (before and after pictures required here, no WIP finishing allowed!) Thrifting a thrift store sweater and turning it into another project also counts here.
• Give life to a vintage pattern! (Vintage in this case = 1986 or older)
• Pay respect to a great crafter who has gone on before us. Explain when you turn in. (i.e. Elizabeth Zimmerman)
• Give a Face to a faceless Ravelry pattern by crafting a pattern that has no projects with pictures on Ravelry!

Invisibility Cloak

• Make something in House Colors to blend in among the movie goers!
  

• Make a shawl of at least 300 yards

pimpy mclink-link

Just a note from snakey to pimp my new craft blog:

ophidiololo

Stop by the new spot for updates on my current projects and etc.

:D

double strap booties for eric's lad

eric's baby shower is friday and his boy is getting these double strap booties in colours borrowed from eric's artwork. both colours are from vanna white's collection and i especially like the grey marble. such a great nubbly yarn full of hairs and weirdness--just like eric!
this is actually my 4th completed pair of double straps. for nearly a whole month they stood almost finished--except for the buttons. i had to give them a long break after they made me rip them apart and redo the straps. but now, they are done and i am giving this pattern a rest.

so, what's up next?

this darling hooded cardigan by mon petit violon!

this sweater will be for my niece jenny who will be having her first child soon--a little boy. i loved the hood and the wavy stripes on this pattern and i think i will keep the gray, but do the a blue for the alternate colour.

i am still heady with the success of the cecily cardigan. hopefully, this one will go as smoothly! i didn't post the second cecily, since i finished it at the crack of 2 am and didn't take a photo, but it is identical except that i used a larger hook and tried to loosen up. with just those changes, i upped the size from size 3-6 months to the measurements for 12 months! i intend to sneak the same trick here so the my niece can use this hoodie next winter.

speaking of the cecily cardigan, it got a warm reception both at the shower and at the Ministry of Magic on Ravelry: Committee on Underage Magic. <3

i am also finishing the details on a pair of double strap booties for eric's baby to be. that shower is coming up quick! i'll post the pics of the finished objects shortly!

my first real sweater!

here is the finished Cecily Cardigan! it was pretty easy to do, although you need to stay on top of counting better than i typically do. i had to tear out and redo several bits. nonetheless, it is my first ever sweater! i want to try this pattern again.

the shower is tuesday. i hope the mom makes it! she is looking quite done with pregnancy. :D

olive's cecily baby cardigan

my co-worker cube-neighbor gina is about 25 days from her due date and i am making the lovely cecily baby cardigan for her daughter-to-be (aka olive).gina has had a tough first pregnancy with gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and heavy swelling and i realized today that gina and i are now in a race to see who finishes first their "project" first! i did make some headway today: i stopped at hobby lobby and bought some pretty caron simply soft yarn in aqua mist, then crocheted up to row 5 on the yoke.

btw, i gave the site a little facelift and added some wip progress bars over on the sidebar. if you would like to add something like that to your own site, the code can be found here at licketyknit.com. it was easy!

heathered rainbow scarf

this little rainbow scarf whipped up quick. using a g sized hook, i made it by alternating rows of double crochet and single crochet LENGTHWISE. then i added 2 rows of single crochet around the entire perimeter making nice sharp sc-ch1-sc corners. this one was only one skein of hobby lobby's yarn bee rainbow (a wool/nylon blend, i believe. a little bulky.), but it is actually pretty small. (5" x 36") i am making another one in more manly colourway with two skeins worth of yarn.

i found it to be itchy. dang wool! so fun to work with and so evile. i am suspecting i might actually be allergic! sssssss.....

Deptartments in the MOM

Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures = Items for magical creatures. Dog sweaters, cat toys and pet related projects

Timeturner Department = WIPS

Department of Magical Games and Sports = Toys, games, Quidditch gear, and other items that are related to the pursuit of fun!

Committee on Underage Magic = Kid-sized projects

The Auror Department of the MLES = Difficult, challenging projects

Department of Transfiguration = Spinning, yarn work

Madame Malkin’s = Tell us about and post pictures of the garments that you’re working on.

Department of International Magical Cooperation = This is the place for projects that use Estonian lace, Fair Isle, Nordic stranded knitting or any other technique that come from a specific country or region.

Committee for Domestic Enchantments = Household things. A swiffer cover, a dishcloth, a cozy for anything.

Misuse of Muggle Artifacts = Non-HP fandoms

Department of Magical Education = Hogwarts or school stuff


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from the site:

Rotations in the various departments last for varying periods of time, depending on the employee. Some employees spend very short amounts of time in each department, some spend long amounts of time, some spend different amounts in different departments. However long it takes you to determine whether a department is right for you, well…that’s how long it takes. You may join a department at any time, and you may stay there until you are ready to move on. You may even work more than one rotation at a time!

That being said, there are Ministry Reviews every two months (in early February, April, June, August, October & December), in which the Minister’s Office highlights the most extraordinary achievements in the various departments. If you have completed a rotation in the relevant period, your work will be up for review and potential bonus rewards. This is not to say that you must complete your project within two months! If you start a project in March and don’t finish it until September, it will still be eligible for the October review! Take your time and do the work that you truly want to do. We’ll be impressed if you finish quickly, but honestly? It’s government work. It takes however long it takes.

i love that line!

recent works

double strap baby booties for little augustus born this summer.

a tiramisu leithifold...uh, blanket for mlwl's lil' boy to be!

and a pair of huffleshoes for kimmyb's wee 'puff-to-be!


fact: the huffleshoes earned me 16 points for potions class and
the leithifold blanket earned me 10 for detention.

New Ravelry Group!

We have migrated over to the new Ministry of Magic group on Ravelry. The group was founded by some former members of the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup group a couple of weeks ago.

The founders of this new group are a set of awesome and dedicated craftspersons and personally, I wish them a lot of success and satisfaction with the new launch. I just adore that they are still focused on creating an atmosphere of fun and fairness for all the participants.

Less wanking and more cranking. That's what its all about, folks.

books snakey is currently enjoying

All are muy fabuloso so far!
AND...
I sent off some handmade gifts today, which leads to the question:

Is there any greater joy than inflicting your obsession upon hapless others?

Answer: No, there is not!

Nomination for October 2010 TRANSFIGURATION prize

Addreamy of Slytherin for her convincing canine lion costume!

2 interesting's, 4 funny's and 39 love's so far! (currently tied for 3rd)

Congratulations!

Transfiguration

Lookee! I'm finally remembering to post something I have done!

This month's Transfiguration homework was in honor of Tonks and her metamorphmagus ability. We were to disguise someone (human or animal).

I chose the ever-patient Sydney. Here is what I submitted for class:


Addreamy, fourth year Slytherin, turning in my completed Transfiguration homework.

Being a Slytherin, I first tried to find a potion to do what I wanted, eschewing “silly wand waving.” I considered Polyjuice, but that is such a finicky potion and takes forEVER to work. Besides, I wanted to transfigure my canine companion, and, as we all know, Polyjuice is only for humans.

Since Potions was out, I decided to brush up on Cross-Species Switches. I decided this called for before/after shots. As the whole idea was to disguise my springer, I realized there was only one thing to do. I chose the LEAST likely of the four houses for her. Sydney, you see, is decidedly a Hufflepuff, although, being officially a Senior Citizen (she is 8 now), she would much rather sleep than be hardworking. She does have some Slytherin tendencies, such as insisting on her own way and cadging around for treats or ordering me off the couch to go GET her water rather than doing it herself. I applaud her Slythernness, even as I shove her off the couch to go get her OWN drink.

The two least likely houses for her are Ravenclaw (i lovingly refer to her as “dumber than a box of rocks”) and Gryffindor (she is afraid of such things as the Ice Machine in the refrigerator and the stairs down to the basement). However, she does definitely have a love of learning, especially if food or treats are involved in some fashion.

So. Gryffindor it was.

Here is Syd awaiting the spell:



and after a little judicious practice, I got this:



(side view to show off the coat and tail)



(CRAP! Blogger has disabled image uploading due to maintenance. i gave you links instead - hope it works!)

pain

i have only been back at crochet for a month and i have been working everyday on something or other. in the meantime, headaches are visiting. two visits to the chiro and 3 chair massages later, i am realizing, i have all this strain in my right shoulder and neck...from guess what?

ssss.

so, i am taking it easier and trying to be very conscious of not curling over the work or twisting too much. hopefully, this will help!

here is a link i found with a bunch of good tips for yarnwranglers.

excerpt:

You are attempting to be a marathon knitter and crocheter. And as such, like any elite athlete, you need to train to be able to knit and crochet with endurance. Too many of you, especially those of you learning how to knit or crochet, or picking up your knitting needles or crochet hook again after years away from the craft, just launch straight hours of work.

Start slowly and build up. As a rule of thumb, you could start by working for 20 to 30 minutes a day, slowly on a sliding scale according to half your age. So for example:

20 for 10 days
30 for 15 days
50 for 25 days
70 for 35 days.

LOL. yeah, right. :p

twisted-like-the-devil

as i am such a baby yarnmeister, i just learned something the hard way. i hate that.

as i have mentioned, i frogged my first attempt at a large crochet project. i blithely balled the yarn for reuse. last night, however, i began incorporating the first of the frogged yarn and discovered it was twisted. twisted as in "twisted-like-the-devil" twisted. i couldn't crochet more than a row and a half without ending up with knots and evilness between me, the piece and the ball.
to rectify the situation, i had to brainstorm. gently twisting it against itself while i worked stitches was futile. i could not simply hang the ball or piece to let it spin out...until i thought of using binder clips to hold the ends of the yarn to prevent unraveling. afterward, i spent a good hour and a half untwisting my yarn by letting the ball hang in midair and spin itself back to normal--2 stinking yards at a time. that...is a lot of twisting in the wind. i balled the yarn, now all nice and well-behaved, and, hopefully, it will crochet without any memory of its evile tortured past.

Cup Work

my ophidian wand cozy features a flip-top head.
(nagini was my inspiration, of course.)
i also turned this slytherin hyperbolic plane
ornament for the arithmancy assignment.

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also...this little rainbow one simply made of cute.

the rest of my month was all devoted to my big project
and much wank-stalkery. oh, snakey...*eyeroll*

OMGWTFFROG

my current project was half done, when i happened to view the piece from an distance and catch that i made a huge mistake 10 inches ago. it is a subtle crochet texture, so i didn't catch it right away...but there it was: one stitch off. i knew i couldn't live with it, but man, it is so hard to bring oneself to undo all that TIME invested. i discussed it with some knitters at work and decided to start a whole new one first, and then when i felt happy with that one, i could more easily frog the other and feel clean and righteous!

so far, it looks perfect!
go, clean-righteous snakey, go!



*i promise i will post a pic when it is done. :)

more linkypoos

the queen of all things "scrumble" was the late slyvia cosh and i happened to stumble on a set of freeform crochet workshop pages that her fellow artists have shared.

links to pdf files here.


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here is a link to crochet by numbers where crochet artist todd paschall shares his pdf training tools to help grasp to his photo-crochet technique. there is also a ravelry group devoted to todd's technique!